Philly 3 Put Furrier on the Stand

by Heidi Dunst

In an attempt to see justice for their Fur Free Friday action against Jacques Ferber Furs, Philadlephia activists turned the tables on furrier Kenneth Ferber by forcing him to answer for his cruel dealings in the fur trade.

Heidi Dunst, Kim Chicchi and Joe Bateman arrived at the courthouse at 8am, and Ferber took a seat directly behind the activists so that he could make sarcastic remarks throughout the proceedings. The courtroom was packed and as we were charged with summary offences, ours was to be one of the last cases heard. This annoyed Ferber so much that if they could "hurry this thing up. I have to get back to work." She asked the judge to review our case and when he did, he rolled his eyes and asked Ferber, "Is this something we could clear up with a handshake and an apology?" Ferber said no and the judge made him wait almos four more hours. Victory number 1!

The case was finally heard at 12:15 pm and the prosecutor called Ferber to the stand and asked him to describe what happened on Fur Free Friday. He said that the activists entered the foyer of his fur store, locked their necks together with bike locks and began to scream "like little animals!" The way Ferber scowled that phrase made us see the absolute hatred he has for the dead animals that hang in the window of his store.

Then it was the activists turn to question Ferber. The defendants were representing themselves and decided to use the necessity defense, wherein their actions were justified in order to prevent a greater evil from happening. Kim Chicchi was elected to do the questioning. The exchange went like this:

Chicchi: "Mr. Ferber, can you tell the court what are the five most common ways an animals is murdered to produce a fur coat?"

Ferber: "I only know of one. Humane lethal injection."

Chicchi told the judge that we had photos to prove otherwise, but he wouldn't let the defense use them.

Chicchi: "Mr. Ferber, have you ever heard of mink having their necks broken or being genitally electrocuted or of foxes and other animals having their limbs caught in steel traps?"

Ferber: "No. Those are stories that you animal rights people make up."

Chicchi: "Mr. Ferber, how many mink have to be murdered in order to produce one full length fur coat?"

Ferber: "I don't know."

Chicchi: "Isn't it true, Mr. Ferber, that it takes between 40 and 65 mink to make one coat?"

Ferber: "I guess so."

Chicchi: "So, Mr. Ferber, now can you tell the court how many mink must be murdered to make one fur coat?"

Ferber: "...between 40 and 65."

Chicchi: "Mr. Ferber, do you feel that the making and selling of fur coats is a morally bankrupt practice?"

Ferber: "No, not in any way."

Chicchi: "No further questions."

The judge told the defense that they had one last chance to defend themselves. Dunst reiterated the necessity defense, Bateman read to the court an entire piece of literature detailing the fur industries murderous ways and Chicchi, once again, tried to show the court photos of mutilated animals as she stated that she shares their pain.

The defendants were found guilty and Judge Robbins stated that he sympathized with the cause, but that the activists had to be punished for breaking the law. Though a decent judge, this did anger the defense who had sat and watched all morning, as real criminals got off scott free. The prosecutor asked for community service, but the judge decided to give a fine, collectively, of almost $300. The punishment for not paying was 3 days in prison. The activists offered to be taken to jail immediately as they did not want to reward a system that kills animals and punishes their liberators.The judge refused to send anyone to jail and gave them until May 27th to pay. At this point it will be taken up in court once again.

Apparently the courts didn't want the activists in jail, but rather wanted their money. Furthermore, this case proves that civil disobedience and the subsequent right to defend yourself in a court of law, is a win/win situation for activists.

At one point, Ferber had asked the judge to order restraining orders against the group to stop the weekly CAFT protests. Judge Robbins refused to do that, stating that this would be a violation of the activists first amendment rights. Victory # 2!

This case is another example of how the no bail/do jail position and the no compromise approach are the best court tactics available.